Potatoes
You can buy seed potatoes for planting, or save potatoes which are
producing eyes.
I've used both methods, and have found equal success.
Some gardeners simply plant the whole potato; but I find you can
double the plants by cutting the potatoes in half, and planting each
half, several per hill, with the eyes pointing up.
For optimum development, potato plants should be at least 1 ˝ to 2
feet apart. However, I've found that crowding them a little doesn't
hurt, although you might not get quite as many potatoes per plant.
Potatoes love well-drained soil, but will produce pretty well even in
poor soil. In fact, planting potatoes IMPROVES the soil.
Feed a liquid fertilizer every two weeks, sparingly during the
vegetative stage, up to blooming time
Once the blooms are out, STOP fertilizing.
You would be wise to mark each hill as you plant, because as the
flowers droop, the foliage on the plant will begin to waste away,
because all the good is now going to the potatoes developing spuds!
Once the foliage has completely wasted away, I dig up a pile of
terrific spuds!!
For drying, leave on the ground unwashed, or if you have animal
problems in your area, place the new 'taters on a picnic table, or
whatever, unwashed, and cover loosely with cheesecloth, to allow for
plenty of air circulation.
You can use fresh spuds immediately… however, for storage purposes,
you must allow for a few days' drying time, or your spuds will rot.
I've tried numerous varieties, and loved' em all---- and the BLUE
potato was also really something different!! I loved it!
Only problem is, I didn't save any to allow for seed, so each year, I
simply buy new ones, or, in the case of regular table potatoes, I save
some which are starting to sprout, cut and plant those. :o)
Days to maturity vary as per variety, but a good round figure is 80
days.
HINT:
Be sure to rotate the areas where you plant potatoes to discourage the
potato beetle.
If potato beetles are seen in small numbers, hand-pick the little
buggers off---- if in large numbers, however, you may need to
sacrifice an entire plant by uprooting and burning it.
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